Relationship between liver and kidney levels of glutathione and metallothionein in rats

The purpose of this study was to test if the tissue levels of glutathione and metallothioneins were inter-related. In rats, intraperitoneal administration of diethyl maleate or bromobenzene decreased glutathione levels in both the liver and the kidney before doubling the metallothionein concentration in the liver and increasing that in kidneys by 40% starting from 6 h after intraperitoneal administration. Both Zn and Cd produced an increase in hepatic and renal metallothionein levels. However, unlike the responses to diethyl maleate and bromobenzene, the increase in metathionein caused by the metals was not preceded by any significant changes in glutathione levels. Cd decreased the concentration of glutathione in the liver (at 36 h) and kidneys (at 24 h). In contrast, Zn produced an increase and no change in hepatic and renal glutathione concentrations, respectively. The conclusion is that tissue levels of metallothionein and glutathione are not always interrelated.